Ambre Gris Pierre Balmain for women

I,ve become addicted to this scent and more and more falling in love with it The perfect smell of my skin The perfect fragrance to me All over the year Just smiling sniffing my self My secret
Pure Essential of Innocence and Passion Pure Love for me

While there is a beauty to this scent,I love amber scents,I would most certainly describe it as a skin scent.Perhaps it is my chemistry,but it has no silage whatsoever...sadly I have to sniff my wrists quite hard to get anything which disappointed me.
Some people say it has a masculine edge, while I don't find that, I think that the metallic edge it has causes it to be very neutral, it has no sweetness yet it is warm.Somewhat of a flat perfume, it doesnt take me anywhere in its development,,in truth, this was a blind buy that did not excite me,Top marks for the Art Deco bottle though.

Caldo, bellissima, accogliente e il profumo del bel tempo caduta poco prima che il freddo si regola dentro Pensate caldo autunno d'oro e foglie terrose, con un tocco di tristezza nell'aria.

I did'n know that two perfumes could be so similar like Balmain's Ambre Gris and Jill Sander's Sensations. Ten years ago i bought Sensations and it has been my signature scent for a very long time. Today, after a blind order (which I made because of the beautiful notes listed here), Ambre Gris has come, and I almost couldn't believe how similar those two are. I don't regret because I love them both.

I am a newbie to the fragrantica world...and the perfume world! I've always just stuck with what I know, but I've begun a quest for a new scent. I don't know much about notes...when I smell fragrances, my mind tells stories.
For Ambre Gris, it is a crisp fall day and I'm wearing a warm snuggly orange sweater, taking my dog for a walk by the lake. All feels right with the world and I feel very content. Smiles at random strangers and a nod at the cute guy with the friendly lab caps off this walk. Then, it's off to home for a classic novel and glass of wine in front of the fire.
I've seen others describe this fragrance as "snuggly". It's an apt word for this lovely perfume. I will be stashing this away to wear when I need some snuggly-ness :)

My signature From now Love It is sooo me Not overwhelming me but just closest and best friend to me I can trust Nice in combination with other smells I own Just incredible Regards from Sweden

This scent is autumn in a bottle. It is warm, creamy and absolutely beautiful. The amber, tuberose and myrrh blend together so well that it will take you back to a beautiful fall afternoon. Warm, gorgeous, cozy and the smell of the beautiful fall weather just before the chill sets in. Think warm golden fall and earthy leaves with a touch of sadness in the air. Beautiful and well done!

Delicious, warm, abstract...a fine piece of art you can wear on your skin. First of all, I am a pepper lover and it loves my skin so I am very pleased. There is just a certain "heat" emanating from this perfume. Almost like an EXPENSIVE incense lit and smoldering soft and slow. This is just another offering from Balmain that is top notch. 100% class.

Happy Perfuming! ♥

Warm, subtle, puts me in mind of a thick, camel-coloured cotton coverlet. While wearing this scent, I feel cared-for and enveloped in a "don't you worry about anything" kind of love. The myrrh is what I notice most adding to this feeling, there's not so much floral which is a good thing with this particular scent. It is grown-up but without the strict responsiblities of being a little older, a little wiser. Soft and very agreeable for both day and night. I was pleasantly surprised because I was wondering how the unisex ability would end up on my female skin, but it works nicely.

I thought I would love this. I put it on and was hit with pink pepper and got excited about where this smell would go, with that spice and amber. On me, amber was a no show. What did show up, and linger alone with nothing else, was a cheap masculine aftershave smell. Not a borderline masculine spicy like I usually dig, but how my bus driver smelled in elementary school. It's a clean scent, but overwhelmingly a "grandpa" scent. To be fair, that's what it did on me. I blind bought it after reading reviews and it was a bad decision. I'd swap it for anything, I suppose. The bottle is beautiful, the notes seemed promising. Just ugh. This was a huge disappointment.

This fragrance is indescribably beautiful, and I would liken it to the most creamy, elegant silk that has ever rested against my hide. There is a sweetness to this, and the resinous beauty of amber, but there is no fruity wallop to render this into a cloying, attention-whore mess. This scent is to me like a swirl of the finest perfumes I smell at the opera, as everyone settles into their seats. The overture is beginning and the diva is behind the curtain, ready to dazzle us. Wait until you see her encore!

If you like a womanly, elegant fragrance of distinction, I'd be comfortable to recommend this as a blind buy. This is high on my MUST buy list.

SEX IN A BOTTLE.....ANY QUESTIONS?

An everlasting agressive cypre, a darker, more sedutive, erotic amber combined with progressive shades of precious woods and musk's. Essential!

Wow, okay this frag is, well, interesting. One thing I can say for sure is the longevity is out of this world. I only put on two sprays, and 9 hours later I still feel like I am choking on the fumes b/c of how strong it is. I was considering washing it off but I decided to stick it out. I think even with one spray this would be just too much for me to handle. It's so overwhelming, and almost headache inducing. The scent was fine for the first hour, and actually the first few minutes really reminded me of Addict and were nice, but then the sweet, musky, balmy, powdery amber just completely overwhelmed me. This frag is not for the faint of heart. I don't think I could make it through this fragrance again. NOT a good choice for a blind buy, IMO.

Well I was a tad surprised by this. I was looking for a pressie for my gf... Just coz I guess that's what bfs do every now and then... And the lady at the perfume counter was going through a large folder/order book of perfumes to have a look for something new, yet classic/sophisticated. She came across this perfume, which had just arrived in store.

When I heard amber, tuberose, immortelle, musk, spices, I admit I was expecting something quite lush, feminine, exotic.

Instead, when I was handed a card sprayed from a tester, I got something distinctly boozy, not particularly feminine, and not too distant from PdEmpire's 'Ambre Russe', which I never really liked.

This was like a more wearable and actually quite pleasant version of Ambre Russe.

Either that or the tester was bad! Which I am assuming is the case because it appears no one, bar the second reviewer got anything similar to me!

I love some of the notes (amber, myrrh, benzoin, pink pepper) so I had a good expectation, when received my sample, of how I would feel this feminine on me.
Well, I felt it comfortable, warm, a bit sweet but not too much (I usually prefer dry and dark scents in winter). Could not wear it more than a day, as one of my friends asked me for the scent, finding it beautiful, and I offered her the rest; she was very pleased!
I'll keep the good memory of a warm ambery winter sunday afternoon by the fireside!

I love some of the notes (amber, myrrh, benzoin, pink pepper) so I had a good expectation, when received my sample, of how I would feel this feminine on me.
Well, I felt it comfortable, warm, a bit sweet but not too much (I usually prefer dry and dark scents in winter). Could not wear it more than a day, as one of my friends asked me for the scent, finding it beautiful, and I offered her the rest; she was very pleased!
I'll keep the good memory of a warm ambery winter sunday afternoon by the fireside!

That’s a nice, smooth composition. All of Ambre Gris’ ingredients mingle so well that I am finding it hard to identify them, which is actually good.

While some of amber frags get too sweet or too salty, this one manages to maintain a good balance between sweetness and saltiness. It’s rather on the light side and doesn’t get oily thick, which can easily happen with amber. You get best of both worlds with this one, as it counterweights amber's heaviness with lightness of musk. And even though I am not a big fan of mixing these two notes, I am finding this scent pretty nice.

Having said that, I won’t be purchasing it, as it lacks sillage, longevity and character. That’s a pity, because it’d be great to have this elegant bottle among others in my collection. Its color together with the name reflect the character of the frag quite well, as it does smell.. greyish.

I have found my perfect amber! --- even though it is not a "true" amber. It is what I hoped for when I purchased Ambre Precieux.

The opening has a pleasant hit of spice, a bit of cinnamon, but mostly pink pepper --- and I adore a bite of pink pepper in an opening.

The heart of the fragrance is accented with tuberose, but it is ever so delicate. I smell what I assume is the Immortal flower more --- a delicious carmel note, but not too sweet.

The drydown is powdery bliss! Lightly musky, heavy benzoine (another of my loves!) and amber, with just a hint of smoke. Essentially a slightly smoky caramel.

I don't find this a "natural" amber scent, but for me I guess that is a positive, as amber can end up too "burnt" or "rubbery" smelling on my skin for lack of a better word.

Longevity is good, silleage polite, but you can definitely kick it up with an extra spray. It makes me feel wrapped up in a cozy pashmina on a cold day.

To me there are some similarities to Prada Candy --- it is a less sweet, more smoky caramel --- there is a smoked caramel tart in a local sweet shop here, with fleur de sel on the top --- exactly like this.

This is the prettiest fragrance I have smelled in a long time...well since two days ago when I re-tested L' Heure Bleu.

I have always loved tuberose in fragrance but this one has a very light, sophisticated presence. Rich and creamy, AG suits me well, it lasts all day and surrounds me with a buttery sweet tuberose that cuts through the amber sparingly enough that they both get to share center stage.

I really want this on my have list, AG is too lovely to be left sitting on a shelf. What a perfect balance of notes that not only work well together, but compliment each other effortlessly.

This fell flat on my skin after a test yesterday. It is a straightforward amber. A perfume lacking in personality. I hate drama and big sillage in perfume but in the same token, I do not like perfumes without any character. This one falls under the latter category. Boring.

On my skin, the dry down is exactly like Jessica Simpson Fancy Nights. Really sweet dry jammy . I do smell the flowers in it, vaguely, which is unexpected in something mostly dry and ambery. Not bad, not offensive, not too different either. For me the bottle is the best part of this frag. I think I prefer Fancy Nights, though similar, on my skin the Balmain has a bit of a playdoh vein running through it on me. Not sure if it is worth my shelf space as there would be many others I will wear before this.

Soft, subtle, sophisticated --- this scent is the opposite of most current fragrances for women. The bottle is also exquisite, a big heavy Art Deco-like piece. Lovely!

This scent makes me imagine I am a black top model or Halle Berry, or even Iman …I find it very, very, elegant & exotic.

Glad I bought the full size EDP bottle :)) I love amber and this is a nice clean powdery one. Musky blend of sweet resin and a slight tuberose. Drys down powdery, soft and sexy on the skin.

All I can do is stupidly repeat "wonderful". It melts with my skin and it is as if my body gives this warm ambery very subtle scent.

I've got a small sample. When I tried it for the first time, I didn't like it much. I though it was salty, masculine and weird! As it dried a bit, it became sweeter and warmer and I took my lesson. Be patient! Wait. It seems as if it has two stages. The sour salty at the beginning and the warm trully ambery at its heart and base. The second time I tried it, I was already in love and I enjoyed even its first stage. Now, I'm sure that I want it. It is amazing warm, elegant, sexy, extremely long lasting. It unfolds a veil of a summer breeze under the warm afternoon sun. Imagine you are sitting on the sand gazing at the purple sunset over the sea, and your unwashed salted body is hydrated with a sweet ambery-vanilla body lotion. Take a breathe and enjoy all the smells that surrounds you....Wake up now...cause this is a perfume for Fall!

I just got my bottle of Ambre Gris today thanks to a wonderful swap with a lovely fragrantica member. Wow, I love this juice. Warm amber,benzoin, cinnamon and myrrh with those lovely flowers in the background and the woodiness in the drydown. What's not to love? This is amazing. Mmmm, Mmmm,Mmmnh! And when you first spray it on it smells salty somehow, like the ocean and actual ambergris. This is one of the best ambers ever. Sorry, Lutens and Sheldrake, but I like this better than Ambre Sultan. So positively delicious! And it has a vintage feel without that "I'm from another era" and I don't belong here smell. Ambre Gris smells like a confident, sexy woman, not a girl.

On my skin this juice has good lasting power, much better than the expensive Lubin, which I tried earlier today. Part of the difference in duration of scent that I experienced may have to do with the fact that I spray my perfumes on the backs of my hands (as well as the more traditional pulse points). I find that my scents last better that way, especially since I moisturize the heck out of my hands, they hold scents very well.

To my nose and my brain, this gorgeous fragrance is right up there with L'heure Bleue, my all-time favorite Orienal scent. Guerlain had better step up their game. Balmain is gaining on them!

Longevity is not so good, on me! BUT!!!, BIG BUT.... This fragrance is unisexually amazing! It is balmy and ambery but I get a lot of the benzoin/musk as solid notes. It just works... It's wonderfully seasonal for fall and for those "in between" moments... I
This scent identifies the person who wears it.... The only problem IMO, you have to have a bottle handy to reapply to experience the "wow" factor that comes with the first application.... It lingers on clothing better, fyi...
Bottom line... great buy for those who are attracted to the notes listed... I blind bought, with some members' assistance; very satisfied!!

I completely agree with 'Vie Cafe' in that Ambre Gris, despite its marketing toward women, is totally unisex. I'd even dare to say that it's masculine, especially in its opening hour. It possesses the same pencil shaving-like undertone, which is the overtone of its brother, Carbone de Balmain. It took me a while to recall what it smells like, but I finally nailed it down. To me, it smells similar to the Avon Skin So Soft Bath Oil that my mom used to buy when I was a young child. This lends to its soft, approachable sweetness which makes it very intimate.

Some say it has poor-to-no sillage. No, it's not a sillage monster, but it does have enough to say "I'm here", while at the same time would be safe to don in any environment. Toward the fourth hour it does become very close to the skin, but this can be remedied by applying more at the outset, refreshing, or spraying it on your clothes as desired. These are all positive attributes in my eyes, because I can control who, how much, and for how long they smell it. It's certainly not the "I just let the dog off the leash" fragrance, if that's what you're looking for.

To wrap: it's uncomplicated, beautiful, timeless, versatile. What more is needed?

PS: It's under $30 USD at amazon.com!

this perfume is beautiful and is very much similar to prada l"eau ambree...it has no sillage ...its beautiful in warm weather...i wish it stayed longer or maybe thats the beauty of it that u never get enough of it...thanku dina for your suggestion to smell this beauty

this is absolutely UNISEX, even slightly "masculine" if I dare categorize. It smells divine on a woman and also on a man. It is a very nice alternative to the too widely popular generic men cologne scents one finds on the market these days. Ambre gris has that ambery sweet spicy scent that so many perfumes have, but it does it in a very natural, non synthetic way. It has very good projection and longevity for a very good price and a nice quality bottle and scent. Not ground breaking but super nice for colder weather. The evolution is also very nice to follow. It morphs quite quickly. If you are looking for a sweet amber scent and do not care to spend hundreds of dollars on, say, Ambre Narguile, I suggest looking into this one. The more I wear it, the more androgynous it becomes to my nose.

This smells like Yves Rocher Voile Ambre, mixed with buttery salty popcorn. I can almost smell something kind of soapy in there too. Oh, and it`s very peppery.

Good sillage and longevity on clothes at least.

Very nice.

I`m not so sure about the look of the bottle though. I mean - what`s the deal with the golf ball...?

The cinnamon/immortelle combination reminds me a bit of L de Lolita Lempicka, but the amber, benzoin and myrrh add warmth and body to the fragrance where I find L sometimes falls flat. It's a cozy, comfortable scent, but still sexy. It's hard for me to picture anyone being offended by this. This is the fourth fragrance I ever bought blind at full price, and I'm so glad I did, as I understand it is now d/c. Shame, it's so lovely.

I love you ambre gris,
you're such a warm, soft, sexy embrace!
I'm sure this baby works for the gents too.

But, all I frankly need to say in this review is:
"Makes me horny."

When it first hit my skin, Ambre Gris reminded me of Arab fumes, woods, oud, myrrh, without being sharp or cloying. Gradually, it turned smoky releasing beautiful tobacco notes.

I would classify Ambre Gris as a soft woody/soft spicy fragrance, and I would absolutely recommend it to men as well... I find it a perfect unisex fragrance.

Though I find it very unique, I wouldn't buy it right away... maybe once I finish my Crystal Noir bottle which falls into the same category IMO, without implying any similarity...

Update:
Couldn't resist and had to have it... Enjoying this beauty for the 2nd day today :)

oh this is so elgant wonderful amazing smell ,today i tested in åhlens and wooow say what????warm,cinnamon,amber soft lyx smell!!!10/10

have had this sitting in the bathroom for a while and thought, give it a go today, see if this lifts my mood. it did.
initial base notes of amber gris and cinnamon are awesome for that bit of kick .
The longevity from what i remember was about 6 hours and still giving off occasional whiffs.
a bit more feminine than masc. in my opinion for a unisex smell. But think it works great on a cloudy summer day.
though there was a strong vanilla base there, but not sure.

Oh, this is beautiful! I've had my decant for a while, but didn't give it an all-day wearing until now.
Ambre Gris has it all. Warm and inviting, soft and elegant, attractive and sophisticated. It's light enough for daytime casual wear, but I wouldn't think twice to wear it special occasions too. I will need a big bottle of this gem.
I had a sample of it a while ago, and I remember I was thinking "Well, nice, very nice - but nothing special". must have been anosmic that day.
Sillage and longevity are amazing! I put it on at 6am and when I got home at 4pm, it was still going strong with occasional whiffs. 10 hour longevity is really good - but 10 hour sillage is fantastic!

* Beautiful perfume: WARM - SENSUAL - EARTHY

Tuberose & benzoin a predominant and it me me feel hot and soft.

I absolutely agree with the comment below. From reviews I read before purchasing, I set my expectations so high I thought this would really be ''the one'' the oriental of orientals'', but no.. it's a light version of ''the one'', and I agree for the low price its a great deal and it is a fantastic choice for a ''go to'' scent .. and for a spicey perfume that's suitable for work.

And with all these positive aspects, causes the negative... it tends to be a bit boring for a perfume entiteled ''ambre gris''

Falcon is remarkably beautiful!

However I am glad I purchased a bottle, but I wont be purchasing another

Sillage - 2/10 low - Longevity 4/10 a few hours Scent 7/10

I think a better choice for a low cost oriental would be Rochas absolu :)

This is great if you love oriental scents but want something that isn't overpowering for daytime or warmer weather. it's salty/sweet ambergris and cinnamon backed up with some myrrh and benzoin.

Overall it's a light scent and feel its something you can throw on whenever and use as a default everyday fragrance. It's a unique natural smelling skin scent with a little pizazz.

Very unique, seductive, sweet, but classy (not pink). Complex, but not heavy. I absolutely love it. It also stay long on the skin. Will highly recommend it.
The other once that I love are: Clive Christian #1 and "C". "Winsor" by Creed. "Winsor", btw is an unbelievable perfume!

Gorgeous smell.... Reminds me something mediteranian, a plant that has baby-pink flowers, like a little bunch of hair.... Aroma is pleasant and soft, mellow....well, these are my connotations with the AG.

Package is excellent, very impressive, solid, beautiful bottle design, indeed, and could make a fantastic present if it is meant to impress, but.....

I do not know why nobody mentioned that- sillage and staying power is ZERO. I mean that.You smell it just out of the bottle, once it is just sprayed, 5 min - that's it. And i do not lessen it at all. I put this perfume into the list of after-shower mists or smth light -springy/summery, like really-really light that you would go to bed with. I have 100ml bottle and for the price i paid (30 euro)- it needs to be quartered at least to be true to it's value....

I am very surprised with this one, as it is sold as EDP concentration and i would say it is a splash.


But saying that, - i still like the light aroma of AG,- ah, well - it is not the only 'shower mist' that i owe ( Hermes Un Jardin Apres La Mousson is the other one) !!! But i have found the way out to use it more properly- i layer it with John Varvatos!!!!
The concoction seems to be very charming, as they are both in the similar category of smells (for me at least).

Do not buy it if you are after 'killer'-type perfume sillage-wise.

Unisex fragrance that is closer on the womans side in my opinion. Not bad a smell, but not something I would wear. Nice bottle though.

I think I would love Ambre Gris in my 20s; comfortably blended, soft and warm amber, spicy resins with a pinch of salt in order to achieve a distinct warm-cold contrast... Could this be oriental marine? Yes, it could be completely new and modern category - my kind of fragrance back then.

But today I fancy something more solid and less casual. Ok, I'll say it - more original and natural-smelling. This opens very nice, still if I start to really smell Ambre Gris I will discover something very scary; the amber note is not convincing at all, also it was clear from the beginning there's no ambergris in it too and the "gris" part is really an artificial note that reminds me of a small plastic boat on a grey coastal day.

I'm very into Balmain, just from another era.
Yes, I am old and cranky.

There is something remotely similar to Womanity, so I guess Womanity fans could appreciate Ambre Gris.

Very ambivalent about this scent. I've owned a 100ml of this for several years now, and only occasionally spray a bit on my hand to remind myself of why I don't wear it.

I suppose it has to do with the name being a bit misleading. As an amber aficionado, and owning many amber-based fragrances, it seems to come short on many levels. True, it has a heavy myrrh component that's bolstered by cinnamon, immortelle, "ambergris", benzoin, vanilla and other "typical" amber components - but it does seems to noticeably fall short of what one would expect from such a list of players.

Ambre Gris seems to be a product of many hesitations and cautious judgement of critical amounts that didn't allow it to take any one accord and make it speak up properly. It's pleasant enough, but ultimately doesn't satisfy my amber-loving nose. Plus, it's not true enough to its name to be a competitor amongst players like Blue Amber, Ambre Precieux, Ambre Sultan, Ambre Russe or anything that really is a "real" amber scent.

Likewise, it also fails to be a true gourmand - the cinnamon, immortelle and vanilla aren't strong enough to convey a true gourmand sense. It's more like a weak, cinnamon cookie dough. The immortelle could have been amplified to accentuate the maple-like aspect or the myrrh could have taken a much more forceful role. Even the vanilla seems to be rather wimpy.

If you layer it on top of other scents, you can really sway it in many directions - which makes it a good layering fragrance. However, I do believe it is one of the few fragrances that falls short of the Balmain name - and one that ultimately feels directionless.

Again, don't get me wrong, it's very pleasant and can be worn by both men and women. It just seems to have an identity crisis that conflicts with its name. Maybe the budget was a bit too tight for it to become a real player. Pity.

In its favor, Ambre Gris tells you all about itself up front. It's plainspoken, there are no surprises and it doesn't take much concentration. Against it, AG has the feel not so much of synthetic perfumery as fake food. It's a twinkie instead of shortcake. It's margarine and cornstarch syrup on your pancakes.

That said, I kind of like it. There's something about it that's just off, not quite right. It's like the background hum of industrial fluorescent lighting that recedes in your mind to a dull hum until you turn it off and realize that what you perceived as a quiet hum or buzz was in fact low-volume disharmony. In filtering it you had just unconsciously redefined it so as to tolerate it. Honestly though, I do like AG a bit. But here's how: one spritz. One spritz is comfortable. Two is queasy. Three is so far over the line that, in the manner of the instant conditioning that you experience vomiting a particular food that you then never want to eat again, you'll never want to smell it again.

GORGEOUS!!!
Oriental spicy when opens, goes trough smoky vanilla and dries down to woody amber scent. Fantastic perfume!
Staying power is average, but I think worth to buy it.

Hmmm. At first, all I smelled is pink pepper, and because of that it reminded me very much of Cartier de Lune..which turns very unfortunately metallic on me. Then this became very powdery and soft, which I suppose is from the amber. The sharpness of the pink pepper keeps it from being too mellow and soft tho. I also find the amber to be kind of diluted and not very rich and resinous. I don't smell the myrrh at all. I'm on the fence about this perfume I suppose. The longer it's on my skin, the less interested I am. This is a safe ,easy to wear, comfortable powdery scent. I'm not a fan of the Epcot Center bottle topper, but no big deal. I think I'm just in a phase right now where I'm looking for uniqueness, and this is not unique to me. But it is a nice unisex scent. I guess I felt with a name like ambre gris, it would be very rich and amber-centric...but it's really a hazy kind. the ghost of amber past ha. this doesn't last very long on me either.

A really smooth amber fragrance, maybe a little bit too smoothed out, it could be considered on the boring side. It is a really pretty smell though with no old fashioned elements as some ambers can be in possesion of. I get quite a luminous but soft amber with a few soft florals interlaced and a gentle musky presence. It does have an artificial aspect to it though which may be off putting to some. Didn't really last long on me and the sillage was gentle after the opening.

In my opinion, this is a very affordable niche fragrance for someone who likes classic perfumes. It's kind of unisex, I find it suitable for winter, but it's not something I would wear.

Ohh myyy...I cant make up my mind!! Is it "mature"? Is it smokey or Balmy? Is it close to skin, no wait, all the room smells... Is it sharp then? Nooo.. Its soft, but still strong. At the same time. Its not mature, no, its elegant. God.. I dont know weather I like it or hate it. Its slighty oldfashion and balmy, a little spicy. Stays strong, but not offensive at all. I think I have to come back on this one. But it have defentley made an impression on me!!

I appreciate Nopasho's review (as I do yours). It gives the reader / perfume seeker a truer sense of what this perfume is really like, and ironically as you have scolded Nopasho for his reiews on the reviewer.. you have also done to Nopasha. As i am now doing to you, lol

I Think Naposho's statement is necissary to comprehend the many differences between the two frags, otherwise soemone seeking information will walk away thinking this smells like something it does not There is no way that these two very different perfumes smell anything alike and quite honestly I'm disturbed by how many so baselessly make such incorrect statements, and have to wonder the intent behind it.

I always read as many reiews as possible to get the truest sense possible. Therefor all comments especially those that demonstrate actual knowledge on a fragrance are important in my decision making process. And I have made many 'blind buys'...havn't been disapointed yet! *knocks on wood*

Let's give it to you straight.
Ambre Gris notes: Top: Pink pepper, benzoin, cinnamon, myrhh, Middle: Tuberose, immortal flower; Base: Amber, benzoin, guaiac wood, white musk. 10 notes.
Naomi Campbell 'Naomi Campbell' notes, hold on to your seat: Top: Magnolia, orange blossom, coconut, mandarin, pimento, peach, mandarin, bergamot; Middle notes: Floral notes, tuberose, jasmine, heliotrope, lily-of-the-valley, rose; Base: Sandalwood, tonka bean, opoponax, vanilla, amber, musk, benzoin, caramel, cedar. 23 notes! It would have been easier to mention the notes that are not used in this mess of a frag where the notes kill each other mercilessly on your skin. And what btw are 'floral notes', is that the trash of a hothouse of which the fragrance oil has been extracted. Using 'flower notes' in a frag is like saying that you use meat in a lamb shish kebab, fish in a tuna sushi or beef for an Angus Scottish Aberdeen steak. Totally meaningless.
There are three, count them 3 (!!!) same notes of the two frags. The rest, the key notes are totally different. How anybody can find similarities between Balmains 'Ambre Gris' and celeb frag 'Naomi Campbell' by 'Naomi Cambell' is beyond me. It is like saying that a Citroen XM looks exactly like a Mini Cooper. Strange...
Ambre Gris is a great scent in the just below classic level. Also: it is not very expensive and has the high Balmain House quality: good sillage, big longevity. The spicy woody top of cinnamon, pink pepper, benzoin and myrrh plays centre stage together with the floral middle of tuberose and Immortal Flower. That is reinforced by the base of which amber is one of the 4 notes. I don't find this 'amber overkill' at all! On the contrary. It is the Guaiac wood who pleasantly dominate togheter with the flowers and the myrrh this frag for me and the amber, vanilla, benzoin and not strong musk back that up, without being very 'present'. The fragrance in its totality is a very well mixed, rounded slightly smoky and woody spicy floral.
Two great things that make this fragrance stand out: the myrrh in the top that reinfoirces the spices and gives a lot of 'oomph' to this fragrance. The myrrh in the top is potent enough to counterpoint the eqaully strong tuberose and the equally strong Immortal Flower in the middle. The interplay between the myrrh and the flowers make these three notes even stand out more by their contrasts. The myrrh is more present and the florals are more outspoken.
How somebody can describe this myrhh-tuberose-immortal-flower-guaiac wood-cinnamon-pink pepper composition as 'grey', is again beyond my nimble mind.
To set the record stright IMHO: Ambre Gris is a very well made, very distinct, very classy, gorgeous and wonderful affordable fragrance, that deserves better than to be branded as 'grey' and be compared to that horrible diva Campell and her generic celeb frags. I would say: judge for yourself. Don't let you be put off by the clogged nose of some reviewer like me. Test it and let us know what you think. I think it is a very underrated, wrongly villified, remarkable fragrance accused of the worst you can say about a frag: 'it smells grey' (meaning 'meh'; but believe me -and I have a bottle of real Ambre Gris EDP to back it up- ambre Gris is anything BUT 'meh'). It is a warm, comfy gorgeous frag with some surprising notes like the myrrh and the Guaiac wood.
Maybe it is too affordable for some people. I for one applaud the democratic pricing of Balmain. It proves that a lot of other houses vastly overprice their frags and are maybe jealous of Balmain.
'Ambre Gris' is a unisex sillage monster in a good way, perfect for winter. Modern, classy, high quality, colorful, a remarkable fragrance with personality at a great price. That's more than enough for me.

I love this wonderful perfume! I agree a lot with Mellyhelly, something from my favourite Cartier Must, but this is easier to wear in the office :o) I even like it more after 4-5 hours, it leaves a creamy balmy "tail" that I also feel from the clothes the next day, but not the first hours.
I generally like sweeter perfumes, I have found out that it is even better on my skin when mixed with my other lovely one - Guerlain Insolence. Makes absolute perfect match. I get a lot of positive feedback from men - and women as well.

Gorgeous!
Now I remember why I liked it so much on first test!
I didn't buy it back then and after that I couldn't find it anymore.
I didn't buy because I felt it was too complex for my average life and probably average me, but I sprayed it from my old sample after reading suggestions for an ambery perfume and it all came back to me!
Actually this is not a strictly ambery scent. If ambergris is there it's mingled with so many other notes for a totally multi-layered experience like in the good old school style!
While sniffing it in delight I finally got the familiar connection: Cartier Must!
They smell very similar at least as concept.
They both reminds me of my dismissed love Samsara.
Samsara has been re-formulated, Must disappeared from shelves, Ambre Gris is not easy to find around. Why??
These are real perfumes!

Ambre Gris conjure up the same personality: sexy in a ladylike way (not childish, girlish or even lolita!). More of a knowing lady of any age.
Most of all I see these perfumes in red, also Ambre Gris and they recall inner passions.

I will track Ambre Gris somewhere and I know it will take time to acquaintance like with Samsara and Must.
Even if it's immediately enchanting, Ambre Gris needs some time to deal with.
These are scents that can wear you if you don't wear them!
Also Ambre Gris is very suitable for fall/winter and cold weather. It could be a little annoying in hot summer, but always beautiful!
The staying power is great and even if expensive AG is much more worthy its pricetag than so many mainstream fragrances.

Very well matches my chemistry :)
At first it's... well, amber-y :) but, later mixes with my skin very well that it's not even perfume-y at all.
Leaves a warm & mysterious trail, without screaming "I'm wearing a perfume! "
This would be my signature :))

This perfume really is as nice as everyone says it is! Impressive! I will be very careful how I use my sample vial.

When I first smelled it, my first impression was of lots of pepper, and I immediately thought it was much too masculine. I feared another Eau des Merveilles experience. Only 2-3 minutes later, the pepper died down and the perfume became the perfect blend of cinnamon, woods, and amber. God it's lovely. There is a powdery quality about it that caught me off guard, and I love powdery perfumes.

If I got my hands on a bottle, this would no doubt be my Christmas perfume. It's very, very elegant, warm, cozy, delicious. I think it's much too sweet to be unisex. The bottle is stunning.

Strrrrong sillage monster, which confirms that my skin doesn't like amber at all, or it's me, I don't know.
It's 100% unisex scent.
I smell strong red pepper too.

This is a great immortelle and ambergris fragrance, slightly gourmandy with the immortelle, with musk and woody notes.
Overall nice !

I totally agree with DarkBeauty's and kastehelmi's reviews below. This perfume is so elegant, sophisticated, and rich to me- but not at all "old". Yes, the opening is sharp and peppery and a bit soapy... (if you spray it on paper, that's all you'll smell) but give it some time to develop on your skin and it'll transform into a sweet, dry yet creamy woodsy fragrance with soft cinnamon, deep amber, and sweet resin. It's perfect for Fall/Winter nights: a night out at a smoky dim-light bar or when you're wearing an evening gown at an event and want to smell the way you look. Ambre Gris is sultry, warm, cozy, and mysterious. It's a "come hither" scent; wear this on your skin, on every spot you'd like to be kissed, as Ms. Chanel used to say.

P.S. The bottle is so gorgeous and elegant... to me, this perfume smells exactly the way the bottle looks.

Well, today is my first time I do wear it.
It's really comfortable, warm scent, reminds me of lots male perfumes like Very Valentino and By Dolce and Gabbana, that type of unisex scents which is not so masculine, neither feminine...
It lacks character, as for me, and individuality. Probably creators of Ambre gris wanted to do smth safe, which a lot of people would like.
I really think it should be much more spicy, then I'll like it)

Sweet, dry, amber with a creamy overlay, thick like the top layer of fresh, raw milk. The spice reminds me of Chai. So perhaps this is my Spiced Chai Latte in perfume form. Yumm... I could eat my wrist right now.

This is mature, decadent, warm, and sexy! Save this for a midnight rendevous. An elegant, black tie affair. When you want to feel like a vixen underneath your cashmere sweater. Or snuggling up in front of a fire with your man.

I believe once again I fallen flat on my face at first sniff. I'm a sucker for love I guess...

P.S. If anyone has it for swap, I'll jump hoops for it. Let me know :o)

So sad... I wanted to love this - I love amber scents, but this one did not work for me. Unfortunately, this one is synthetic smelling and headache/sore throat inducing to me.

This i love because it has a bit of everything ...sweetness,woods,spices and a bit of the only floral note which i definitely like tuberose.
Oh..what a great sillage ,i agree with the saying it changes all the time...you won't find this scent never boring ...
smokey grey amber ...sweet almost gourmandy benzoin and spices (pepper,cinammon)...delicious,mysterious,sensual ...
Yes, my type !!!!!

This must be the absolute nicest amber fragrance out there. But that's about all one could say about it. If you are looking for amber (and I did, eventually I have a real craving for it), this one is a very nice amber, unisex, very refinend, check it out, it serves.

But it is not risky. Not edgy. Not complicated. One could say: Boring? Depends on what you are looking for, I guess.

Now I've finally tried it and I'll use up the sample but I won't buy it. This is a balanced woody oriental. A true comfort sent, creamy, round, warm but I wasn't looking for a blanket. This it a rather grown up sent as well. (reminds me of some lady from My childhood)

It isn't oriental woody. It should be in gourmand group. At first it is a little sweet, the kind of sweet in L de Lolita, then it becomes buttery, really yummy m/.

When I first applied Ambre Gris, I was reminded of Chopard Madness which I'm not that fond of. However, once the dry down glides in, it's something completely different and very lovely. The other day before I had my shower, I kept getting whiffs of something that smelled like 'Samsara', but I hadn't applied any. I realized that it was the remnants of 'Ambre Gris' that I'd worn the previous day. It is very affordable which makes it even more appealing.

Very warm, sexy and subtle, this fragrance. My new favorite. And the disco ball topper on the bottle is a plus!

I bought a bottle of it and I can only say that for the price I paid (I got it in a bargain) it's nice. If I had paid more for it, I would be a very sad customer indeed, because I do get strong synthetic and perfumey vibes from it.

This fragrance turns out to be warm, musky and creamy as described by other reviewers. However, the amber is very thin compared to some of my favorite amber scents, it just makes the whole composition sweeter and more rounded. The myrrh and musk are the strongest on me and I also get the feel of sandalwood but no tuberose or spice whatsoever. I also get a slight lemony/medicinal scent on top of everything which I guess might be the immortelle; it's what prevents it from being sickly sweet and a trully comforting scent. Lasting power is quite good (6~8 hours) but projection is small. It's an inoffensive perfume that could be worn anytime & anywhere but for me, it's also boring.

From the name I expected a much stronger amber accord; sadly that's not the case, but those who like their amber with a very light hand may find the ideal fragrance here.

Update: Even with the colder weather, this is too much for me. I had to give it away, as it's one of the few perfumes I have that I actually can't stand wearing at all. because of its prominent plasticky/synthetic vibe.

Gosh, this is a masterpiece! How amazing is the bottle? Just too beautiful.. I sprayed this on while I was inside Collette in Paris and all day I was sniffing my wrist. It lingered until dinner! It just got better and better. I like my perfumes complicated and interesting, not those crappy, candylike, sweet commercial smells you find on best seller lists. They are so boring, so uncomplicated, unsophisticated... This one is a bit on the sweet side, but in the perfect way! If you like scents with personality, you must try this. The perfect scent to wear to candle lit dinner out about town on a winter evening in Paris...

This is lovely. A certain spice element dominates on my skin, so it's a bit stronger than I would like, but still, very well done.

To my nose, it reminds me a great deal of Guerlain's Samsara, just not as overpowering.

Starts out very sweet, very tasty, with a cinnamon note mixed with a very light myrrh. Over time the fragrance will gain a dominance of amber with an aroma followed by Musk.
A very good fragrance, definitely geared for cold climates. Makes a good gift for a girlfriend.

I love this Amber. At first, I thought it smelled a bit raw, but that is what has been growing on me.
This is a perfect go-to fragrance that fits any occasion. It smells so cozy and comfortable, so straightforward, full and rich. Not as heavy as some Christmas cookies aromas, but faintly reminiscent of them. I suppose that is the cinnamon.
Not too sweet or vanilla like, rather like a pile of woods. A chic - almost green - note prevails throughout.

This was so lovely on the card I am gutted it didn't work on my skin :-( It's a totally gorgeous fragrance - sweet (but not too much) and buttery. Make sure you test it on yourself before you buy it though.

Received my sample of this one today and I really like it! Reminds me very much of Cashmere Mist for the most part which I used to wear and love (drydown is different and I prefer AG). Agree with other reviewers who say this is a cosy and inviting fragrance - it's powdery, sweet and warm all at the same time. There is nothing loud or offensive about this perfume at all, it's just beautiful and so easy to wear which means it suits all ages and all occasions. I undoubtedly plan to finish my sample and will enjoy doing so. Highly recommend!

Wow, I am very impressed.
This new treasure is perfection in a bottle.
I bought it without testing, trusting the name and the ingredients (not to mention the killer design bottle).

High but soft notes and light warmth. Ambre Gris emanates an elegance that is confident about its own beauty.
A pure pleasure.

Ambre Gris can be easily worn by both man and woman as long as he is open minded. It's not all the way feminine as it has this obvious cinnamon spiciness, pink pepper, and a lot of benzoin. There is no prominent tuberose or any obvious flower that I can smell, so, like I mentioned, a guy can wear this. The woody accord is subtle as well, so it's easy for women to wear. The overall scent is not spicy. It's actually powdery and gloomy but cozy and inviting with warm oriental sweetness. The drydown is all about amber and musk with weak powdery (and less gloomy) feel. It is quite impressive fragrance that lasts more than 6 hrs. Too bad the weather is now hot and humid here. I feel like it's better to wear this in colder weather season. I will wait til then to test drive this baby again in the future. One more thing, the golden disco golf ball topper is humorous! It looks goofy but it has nice weight and feel, and it stands out among my big collection :)

Some Fragranticans are under the impression that this contains ambergris. Ambergris is secreted by whales and I would imagine is no longer allowed to be harvested for perfume (like real musk). Correct me if I am wrong about this. The literal translation for this perfume is GREY AMBER. The notes list ambergris as an ingredient, so I may be wrong, I really don't know.

My friend Yamba1 has sent me a decant (thank you, I know how precious this one is to you!), and I must say I can smell a likeness to Serge Lutens' Gris Clair, I think because they are both simple comfort perfumes, and they both seem to wrap me up in the scent. The Balmain is a much warmer sunnier smell, I am sure because of amber. This is a cosy, likeable and always wearable scent for any occasion, and suitable for women of all ages I would think, even younger women could not complain about this being an "OL" one.

at first , thanks a lot dear gypsy parfumista for this amazing scent advice.

@desmondorama, thank you for recommend this scent as you mentioned in your commend. ie; '' suit for unisex/masculen wearer too''.

5/5

I can only affirm the glowing reviews already posted on this magnificant perfume. Firstly, let me say the bottle is just stunning, and the picture doesn't truly reflect how pretty this bottle is.

As for the scent? Warm and inviting, this perfume caresses you with gentle strokes of amber/benzoin but supported by the gentle woody base. Don't be worried about the tuberose. No white flowers are apparent but the tuberose/immortel do serve to smooth and balance the spices.
Wearing Ambre Gris feels like having a pair of loving arms around you. Pure bliss!!

I cannot say enough good things on this scent. It is utterly one of the perfect scents. We are all always searching for them and this one so well constructed and balanced. It goes on the skin exactly as it smells in the bottle and you want to keep inhaling your wrist all day. Elegant, pure and rich it is a very special perfume. It is one that I hope will continue to made.

God, what a beauty! I never heard of Pierre Balmain until I discovered this site. I am so grateful to Fragrantica's members for their reviews that spiked my interest in this House. I blindly purchased 3 of Balmain's perfumes, and this one is by far my favourite. I just can't get enough of this gorgeous scent....it lasts for hours. Pure luxury.

The name Ambre Gris sets up certain expectations, based on the the many iterations of ambre in perfumery (note, accord, family), but quickly dispelled by a few sniffs. First, this is not a big, rich, unmitigated amber à la Ambre precieux, Ambre 114, Ambre narguilé, etc. Likewise, I've sampled diluted ambergris and whole chunks of the stuff, as well as the substitute ambroxin, and do not detect these in the blend.

Ambre Gris is a congenially spicy member of the oriental family with no big flowers, and which by definition (oriental=parfum ambré), should have an amber accord at the base. It lacks some of the classic features (a little vanilla or tonka, a lush benzoin, for example) present in many classic, heavy-hitting orientals.

The name is fitting, then, in a literal way: any amber association in this blend is gray, as in subdued, or diluted, or hazy. An amber mirage.

Above all, I get a distinct, slightly sweet but not candied cinnamon pepper blend over a little bit of benzoin and a lot of sandalwood. The subtle floral/vegetal accord may be immortelle, a note I would not recognize. More often than not, floral notes that are pleasant but nondescript to me, turn out to be farnesol. If I close my eyes, click my heels, and make a wish, I think I detect a little myrrh. It blossoms later in the drydown, but only very close to my skin.


A pleasant blend with unisex appeal, this is well worth a try, and even a buy. Above all it has a recognizable signature--though not the one I'd expected.

Sometimes I like Ambre Gris very much. Other times (today) I find it not subtle enough, and too synthetic. I am unwavering in in my appreciation for the bottle, disco ball cap and all.

I usually go for light florals, but thought it was high time to explore some other perfume groups out there, so I recently ordered some mixed samples from luckyscent and this one was first out of the lot to try...
Well, for me it was a shock!, it started quite strong with an animalstic note (I so wanted to be able to identify what I was smelling, but I guess this will come with more experience) I did detect some cinnamon as it dried down, and it became a softer, slightly floral woody musk scent on me. I wouldn't say it is altogether feminine, and I can imagine some men would enjoy wearing this fragrance also. Perfumes usually fade fast on my skin, but this one lasts for hours.

Unisex perfection... There's no need to even elaborate. The reviews have spoken for this wonderful concoction already. I'm just glad to have it in my collection and I wonder what took me so long.

I have a sample of this perfume from a fragrantica member. The tiniest drop of this perfume envelops you in this cashmere curtin of warmth. Its this thick rich smell of cinnamon and amber. Its cozy and soothing. Its perfect for a winter wonderland. Just make sure to spray with a light hand...it may be overwhelming if otherwise. If you like dior addict or prada prada you should definitely test this.

Warm, creamy vanilla sweetness from the benzoin, peppery without the biting quality and a very prominent cinnamon. There is also an element of soggy sawdust in the top notes as well.

The drydown is indeed warm and cosy, sweetly smoky like BBQ vanilla pods. I do not really smell much in the way of amber itself.

Ambre Gris is not so much 'gris' as it is a smoky taupe. Strangely beautiful and addictive despite its plainess.

I bought all of my Balmain perfumes scent unsniffed and was happy with each and every one of them. AMBRE GRIS, which I decided to test before buying, turns out to be wonderful as well!

Unlike many amber perfumes, AMBRE GRIS has layers of delicacy which unfold over time and include a touch of detectable cinnamon, a sweetness apparently imparted by vanilla, and a woodiness in the drydown. This is a splendid use of amber, not as a dominant note, but as one among several complementary oriental components. The florals do not assert themselves much, but that is to be expected, since all of the oriental elements are very strong. Yet none is overpowering, and they work together harmoniously rather than battling for control of the composition. Compared to LA MOME, the myrrh note here is rather subtle.

AMBRE GRIS is my favorite of the several amber perfumes I've tried recently, and I'll definitely be adding this benzoin-rich, super-longlasting, cold-weather-ready creation to my collection. Highly recommended to lovers of oriental perfumes!

Opens a little bit sharp and masculine, but in 10 minutes settles down to a lovely, feminine and seductive scent. It's more of a skin scent in my opinion, because this is very quiet and I feel it only when I push my nose closely to my wrist. I waited for a louder fragrance, because the tuberose is listed, but I don't feel any tuberose. And my other love - myrrh is not present as well. This is a cozy scent, but in my opinion there are many better out there.

I positively adore this scent. So warm, so elegant, so... I'm glad I can't get a lot of the tuberose, because that note makes my stomach turn in heavy doses, jasmine does that, too. But here everything is myrrh, guaiac, amber, cinnamon (very little), benzoin... the immortelle gives a tad of dryness to it, maybe. Wonderful creamy, calm, cozy snuggle-scent. Just great.

The cinnamon, the myrrh oh my! I love this warm scent. It was one of my "go to" scents for fall and winter, but thanks to a suggestion from perfumepassio I have started wearing it in summer. Fantastic!! The warmer you get, the better it smells. On me, it lasts forever
You MUST try Ambre Gris, whether in the cold or the heat, I promise you-you won't be sorry!

I adore Ambre Gris as it gives me the right amount of amber and cinnamon at their best. It's warm and sweet, very snuggly and sensual and at the same time buttery and gourmand. I would like to have a huge bottle of it in my collection at all times but it is kind of pricey :( A must-have for all amber scent lovers! Amazing sillage and staying power!

I was expecting more from this perfume, given the name. Recently I’ve tried several perfumes that contained ambergris (whether real or synthetic, who’s to know?), and have become fascinated by this note. Ambre Gris is a nice enough fragrance that starts out with an unexpectedly sweet, slightly spicy, floral, resinous and soapy vanilla, a mix in which it’s hard to separate individual notes. It continues in that mode through the drydown, at which time it becomes a fairly conventional amber scent made up of benzoin, woods, musk and vanilla.

Nowhere along the way did I smell a significant ambergris note. It’s easy to imagine that you’re smelling something that you’re expecting, even if it’s not present, and I tried hard to make my brain smell ambergris. However, the tone of the perfume stayed in the oriental-spicy-gourmand realm without ever going near the salty-iodine-sea animal place that I’d hoped for. When I want a classic French-style perfume, I’ll reach for my stash of discontinued Patous, not Ambre Gris.

Wow this smells sooooo good! I LOVE amber scents and this is my favorite so far!! I would wear this year round I care not! I love Ambre Sultan for its woodiness, but this is a sweet Amber with spice so I adore both really. :-)

A lovely friend of mine has this fragrance as her signature, so almost two weeks ago when I went to visit her, she sprayed me with this divine fragrance and a little of the scent got on my jacket. I picked up that same jacket today and noticed how well this fragrance had lasted and how elegant Ambre Gris smells.

I remember thinking when my friend first sprayed Ambre Gris how spicy and sweet it was. It had an almost gourmand feel to it with the cinnamon and vanilla creating a warm and delicious olfactory experience.

While I delighted in the spiciness of Ambre Gris, I didn't quite agree with the sweetness. I concluded that it was my own personal tastes coming into play rather than the composition of the scent itself.

I must admit however, that once Ambre Gris fully develops on the skin, there is a certain sense of magic in the air. I cannot detect any hint of pink pepper in this fragrance, yet there is beautiful, resinous myrrh, soft white flowers and edible cinnamon sitting on a musky and almost smokey, incense base.

I can certainly see why previous reviewers refer to Ambre Gris as being a 'snuggly, sensual, cozy and extravagant' fragrance. Ambre Gris is all that has been already mentioned.

Burying my nose into my jacket at this present time almost sends me into a state of euphoria. I love rich, spicy and smokey fragrances, so the moment this fragrance reached the drydown I was completely and utterly hooked. I don't believe that I will be able to wash my jacket ever again.

I was meaning to try this one and when I smelled it, it was quite nice. Smells like something from Serge Lutens. Probably Gris Clair. Reminds me of D&G Bateleur too. I already own that one so I won't be purchasing this one.

Opens a bit salty, with slight pepperiness, soapy with myrrh. The cinnamon is interesting, not very spicy, warm, not quite sweet.

I personally find the opening strong, but this scent becomes more and more beautiful as it dries-the Guaiac wood is golden, the tuberose is just a touch, not a note that stands out by any means.
Ambre Gris is a fabulous perfumey perfume-rich and glowing with resins and not completely familiar, but not exactly new. A wonderful composition, but as Malegria said "not very original".
I have never smelled "immortal flower", but if that is the "je ne sais quoi" here, I like it.

Ambre Gris goes onto my skin like an old French perfume, very bright and aldehydic, almost golden and sparkly. It's very brash, very loud, but it settles in quickly to a sexy, warm and slightly soapy scent that just keeps my wrist glued to my nose.The rich resinous myrrh is amazing, definitely a scent for colder weather, almost sticky like church incense, but it is tempered by the hot spice of cinnamon. Not quite detectable are the floral notes, but they keep the resins from becoming too overpowering while at the same time contributing to that sense of soapy clean perfume. Lovely, and not terribly expensive. I love the glass bottle and hate the golf ball lid.

Others on this list have commented on how dramatically this scent changes once you've put it on. That's true for me as well, although it takes a turn for the worse.
It begins with a heavy sweet benzoin-type blast, then immediately strays into soured stale coffee notes and copy-machine toner refill essence. Finally, it then wanders over to an aroma I can only call "hospital". Definitely not in harmony with my chemistry - your mileage may vary.
I'll be selling my bottle of it soon - testing is so important, not sure why I bought the big jug of it unsniffed.

This scent is so strange! Due to the name I didn't expect this. It's a very complex, multi-layered and complicated fragrance with a natural effect. It changes a lot in time with a very multi-stage evolution, totally different from many nowadays monodimensional fragrances.
It has a lot of style from beginning to end. Very very elegant and extravagant. The start smells very green to me and I smell something like galbanum (?), then a strong floral stage with different little clouds and finally. At this stage it absolutely transport my memory to something I'm sure was familiar to me when I was a child, but I can remember WHAT! It also is quite similar to Jil Sander n.4 floral heart.
After 2 hours a beautiful creamy musky amber comes out and that's the best part! It's a to-die-for elegant AND snuggling drydown, creamy and clean animalic. No stink of the beast and no brain-piercing acute soapy edge as most fragrances seem to fall on one of these sides. Ambre Gris doesn't.
It's very longlasting and clings to fabric, so if you love that drydown and worn it regularly you can it stronger and stronger. It smells divinely on clothes the day after. I don't know what kind of raw ingredients they use. It is likely to be synthetic but a very well done one! I need to test this a little more before going for a full purchase. Right now I think that it was long time since I could smell such an extravagant, elegant and totally snuggling (drydown) scent.
It is pricey, about 70 euro for 50ml, very in line with typical mainstream Chanels, but much less then many niche fragrances.

Firstly I love how this bottle looks in my collection. smokey heavy glass and grey fluid, cap fits perfectly and the atomizer doesn't need to be crushed down to work. All shows what price range these perfumes should be in.
Honestly I was expecting more amber from Gris. Amber is present in a melange of Resin, wood, musk and spice. The workings of this perfume never seem to really settle on me. the notes churn continuously. the start is a pepper and resin with dry cinnamon, startling. the warmth plays through with varying degrees of sweetness from flowers and the grey amber. At times my skin mixes with the amber and musk to bring out the an animalistic almost male quality. woods strole by and agree that there is sandlewood in here or something mimics it nicely. Each time I wear this I am constantly smelling myself sometimes out of pleasure and sometimes just to make sure that musk note does not get out of hand on me. Never gets too spicy or strong and even though the notes change the level of sillage stays the same, calm. it is a nicely done perfume. I second the fact that it makes one hell of a unisex and can seem very formal just like the bottle.

This is a nice amber, very playful It changed so much on my skin I retested - with the same result.The spicy opening, then the juicy, almost fruity heart (reminded me of Cristobal for a while) and then it mellows down to a dignified amber base.In 6 hours it smelled on my skin like sandalwood incense stick. There must be sandalwood in here.
It is not very original though...

Such a deep, rich, & marble-smooth concoction. I get the top notes and base notes...but the middle notes I completely skip over (which suits me just fine). It IS slightly spicy at the beginning--from the pepper & cinnamon I presume--but not so much that you'll grow hair on your chest! =P The myrrh seems to counter it & add a light, natural-smelling "perfume" to it---making it feel very feminine. After a while the spices mellow out, & it turns into a soft woodsy ambre somewhere in the middle. Then, after a few hours of wearing it, to my utter surprise (and JOY), I smell La Perla's Eclix (minus the soft citrus start! Strange I know...but that's exactly what I smell right now!) No spice, soft, sweet, & delicious. What a delight!

It starts rather sweet on me, not what I expected, but then it becomes warm and peppery.I love the cinnamon. It is a very pretty perfume, warm and seductive, but not to heavy. Perfect for fall. It is a very special scent, warm and cozy and yes, yummy. Ambre Gris was recommended by perfume friends at Fragrantica and they did a great job! I really like this fragrance.

This one is a winner. At first spray, I was immediately reminded of Theorema, but now that it has melted onto my skin a bit, I am smelling Cashmere Mist plus a few mellow spices. It is beautifully blended, and very warm, sensual and cozy. Even though it is summer, I am enjoying wearing it on this cool morning, and look forward to Ambre Gris as a regular in my fall rotation!

This is one of my favourite frags ever!It is very warm,sweet,deep, cinnamon-ambery frag.It stays with u the whole day and is sooo intoxicating and seductive ;)I acnt describe with words my love for it!I am happy that i got the biggest bottle!
9 points of 10

Very warming and cozy a perfect winter smell.Not to much spice,exactly enough to keep it smooth.Very good amber scent.

A smooth concoction this is! It starts off rich, warm and spicy--an amber sprinkled with pink pepper and cinnamon. Immortelle flower acts as a counterpoint to bring the notes out of its dark depths. Myrrh and tuberose heads the middle notes, fortunately its indolic components are nowhere to bee seen...the scent smoothes over considerably. Musk and Benzoin are now apparent, the salty, fruity, jasmine like nuances of ambergris start appearing, the scent ripens with a building sensuality. It is simply narcotic breathing it in. The smoky note of guaiac is mellow and never assertive.

Six hours later on me I smell remnants of the ambergris with rounded notes of benzoin. If you're an amber freak like I am, who appreciates amber from its woody resinous interpretation right up to the syrupy sweet ones, Ambre Gris is a choice for those who prefer the latter.

Ambre Gris is a very well-crafted scent with a definite progression of top notes, middle notes and base notes. I don't detect the florals at all, as others have mentioned, but the fragrance begins as a creamy sweet vanilla, moves to a smoky amber and gradually dries down to a soft woody musk. Having smelled a sample of beach-harvested ambergris, which is very stinky, I don't detect that as an individual note in this scent, thank goodness! But at the same time, I kind of sense its effects in the . . . roundness (for lack of a better word) of this perfume. Scents don't really have a shape for me, but the effect of Ambre Gris comes across as soft, sensual curves instead of sharp corners. It slinks and slides through the different layers, and lingers all day long. Vanilla and Amber lovers should give this one a try!

One of my all time favorites. Warm, buttery almost in the best sense. I don't get any of the floral notes either, just cinnamon tinted woods with the incredible ambergris.....a total aphrodisiac! Must work well with my chemistry, as I have actually had people follow me to ask what I am wearing!

I bought this perfume untested based on sandrina_bambina's excellent article and I am very glad I did. This is the warmest, creamiest amber fragrance I have ever smelt.
I do not get much of the floral notes at all. Just creamy amber, cinnamon, and woody notes (the myrrh and guaiac, I assume).
Bottom line: I love this scent!

I fell in love with this wonderful perfume and have to say that is extremely unisex or even more masculine. It reminds me of some of Tom Ford's Private Collection.

Don't be afraid to try it guys, you'll be pleasantly surprised!

This is perhaps, my absolute favorite fragrance since I discovered Shalimar many years ago. The fragrance has a wonderful, warm, and sweet odor, it lasts for a long time and my husband says its an instant aphrodisiac for him, me too! The composition of the ambergris, tuberose and benzoin is incredible. Amber Gris is a soft, snuggly fragrance, perfect to wear to bed and wear out on the town, people ask me what am I wearing, men tell me I smell soooo good. :)